Charlotte faces Miami in conference showdown
Miami Heat (12-10, ninth in the Eastern Conference) vs. Charlotte Hornets (7-13, 13th in the Eastern Conference)
Charlotte, North Carolina; Monday, 7 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: The Miami Heat visit Gordon Hayward and the Charlotte Hornets in Eastern Conference action Monday.
The Hornets are 3-3 against the rest of their division. Charlotte is seventh in the Eastern Conference with 25.8 assists per game led by LaMelo Ball averaging 8.2.
The Heat are 9-9 against Eastern Conference opponents. Miami has a 3-4 record in games decided by at least 10 points.
The Hornets are shooting 47.4% from the field this season, 1.0 percentage point lower than the 48.4% the Heat allow to opponents. The Heat average 12.6 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.0 fewer made shot on average than the 13.6 per game the Hornets allow.
The teams meet for the second time this season. The Heat won 111-105 in the last matchup on Nov. 15.
TOP PERFORMERS: Mark Williams is averaging 12.7 points and 9.7 rebounds for the Hornets. Miles Bridges is averaging 20.2 points over the last 10 games for Charlotte.
Jimmy Butler is averaging 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists for the Heat. Jaime Jaquez is averaging 15.8 points over the last 10 games for Miami.
LAST 10 GAMES: Hornets: 4-6, averaging 111.8 points, 41.2 rebounds, 26.5 assists, 6.7 steals and 5.1 blocks per game while shooting 47.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 120.7 points per game.
Heat: 4-6, averaging 114.5 points, 39.5 rebounds, 26.8 assists, 6.4 steals and 2.7 blocks per game while shooting 47.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 113.1 points.
INJURIES: Hornets: Frank Ntilikina: out (leg), LaMelo Ball: out (ankle), Cody Martin: out (knee), Nick Smith Jr.: day to day (ankle).
Heat: RJ Hampton: out (knee), Haywood Highsmith: day to day (back), Dru Smith: out for season (knee), Bam Adebayo: day to day (hip), Tyler Herro: out (ankle).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.